Method of and apparatus for handling strands



June 26, 1934. J. w. ANDREWS 1,964,493

METHOD OF AND-APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed Jan. 13, 1931 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Z5 2.5 Kb

INVENTUR .J. W ANDREWS A TTORNEY June 26, 1934. w, ANDREWS I 1,964,493

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRANDS Filed Jan. 13, 1931 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTUR .J. W ANDREWS ATTORNEY Patented June 26, 1934PATENT oFFrcE Application January 13 8 claims.

This invention r'elatesto a' method of and apparatus for handlingstrands andmore'particule -1y mama-hoe of and apparatus for groupingelectrical condiictors in strand'form.

f thefn'ianufac'ture of conductorquads, i. e., a

gro p o'f four conductors intended as a compori'eht'unit'of arnulti-conductor cable, it has been efipra'ct in some instances, to groutwo single condiictors to form a pair and'then group two pairsfto forma'quad. Heretofore, in some casegsuch individual pair has beenpermanently hound with cotton thread in order, among other reasons; to"-aid inlmaking the two wires of the phages-nearly the same'lengthaspossible.

An object ofthe presentinvention is to provide amethod of handlingstrands which will be economical and facile and an apparatusforhandling-'which'will be simple andefiicieht.

"l l'he' invention contemplates the positioning,

s de by sidejof a 'pair' of strands and-the moving of the pair throughan aligning zone wherein it is'fhelically wrapped and unwrapped with acon tinuous; travelling binding member. I v v Specifically, anindividual strand is with- 5 from each of two adjacent supply spools bya centinuously' driven capstan and thence passedtofa' driven take-upreel. The two strands are'passed througha tubular member which di-'rectsthem parallel relation through an alignzone so that in passingtothe capstan they adv'ancefjin parallel, abutting throughout theirlongitudinal extents, while therein; as'a single strandl A rotarycarriage continuously tightly bihd'sfthispairhelically with; an endlesstravelling 5'5 rneinber'for the" purpose of locking the strands togetherand insuring that the same quantity of m aterial of each'strandshallbeforwarded to the take-up irrespective of variations in theirrespectiveiradii in passing over'the capstan;

*6' '1"he'invention will be more clearly underst od fr the renewingdetailed description, read in do iorr with the accompanying drawings toa part thereof, in which 1i isadia'g'r amnratic elevational View of an 3apparatus'einbodying the inven tionfand V 2'isa diagrammatic sectiontaken on the line 2-"-2 of Fig.1 7 H v r I rte]? ring'to the dr a'wingswherein similar parts are indieated in the two views by identicalrefernce numerals, an apparatus, by means of whichjthe' method may bepracticed, consists of a rigid framework generally designated by the nu-Ineral 10 comprising a base portion 11' surmounted by an uprightsupportingmember 12. Spaced vrucaii aligned horizontal arms 13 and14='pro'- 1931, Serial No. 508,470

feet from the base 11 and upright 12, respectively.

A pair of strand-supply reels 16 and 17 are rotatably mounted instationary supports 18, 18 on parallel axes 19-19 and preferably sopositioned respectively as to deliver strands drawn therefrom to asubstantially common point. At the top of the apparatus a horizontalshaft 21; rotatably mounted atone end upon aninner gooseneck supportingbracket 22 and near the othere'nd upon outer'gooseneck supportingbracket 23, se- 5 cured upon the horizontal arm 14, is provided at" theouter end with a capstan 25 keyed thereto, and int'ermediately of itsends with a toothedwheel 26, suitably secured thereto as to be rotatablewith the shaft 21. It will be understood that the brackets 22 and 23 aresuitably apertured to receive the shaft 21' and constitute bearingmembers therefor. In order to prevent lateral movement of the shaft 21with'respect to the brackets, collars 27-27 are secured thereto upon"either side of the bracket 22. A vertical shaft 28' suitably journalledin apertures 29-29 of the horizontal arms 13' and 14 extends downwardlyfrom the topof the'machine, and is provided at the upper end with a worm30 secured thereto, and at the lower endwith a bevel gear 31 suitablysecured thereto.

A motor 32, suitably connected in any power' supply line (not shown) ispositioned in the base 11' and provided with a drive shaft 33 upongthe'end of which is fixed a bevel gear 34 which meshes with thebevel gear31. From the foregoing it will be observed that when the motor 32 is inoperation, the bevel gear 34 thereof meshing with the bevel gear 31drives the vertical shaft 28. The worm 3 0 is positioned to mesh withthe toothed wheel 26 to drive the capstan 25.

It has been found under normal conditions, that strands, upon movementfrom the supply spools around the capstan, will tend to lieeither oneupon the other during their contact-with the surface of the capstan.Obviously, the superposed strand, having the larger radius, is thusadvanced from its supply reel faster than the: other strand, with theresult that accidental twisting of one strand about the other, orcurling or rumpling of one strand while the other remains straight, maybecome evident in the course of transfer from the supply reels. Not onlymay this unevenness result in a pair composed of component strands ofunequal length, but may promise a pair of substandard or uncertainelectrical characteristics when incorporated in a ca ble. Inorder,therefore; to insure that the strandsdrawn-fromthe supplies as advancedto 1 0 the take-up by the capstan comprise a pair having component unitsof equal lengths for a certain length of the pair, the strands of thepair are secured together while advancing from the supplies to thecapstan to the end that different or changed radii in passing overrotating bodies such as the capstan 25 will be efiectually preventedfrom causing one strand of a pair to be longer than the other. This isaccomplished by means of a carrier assembly which includes a tubularsleeve 35 perpendicularly disposed in an aperture 36 at the outer end ofthe arm 14. A gear 37 is secured to the exterior of the sleeve 35 abovethe arm 14 and provided with a looking collar 39 for aflixing it to thesleeve 35 and maintaining the assembly in the aperture 36. Below the arm14 a hollow spacer 40 surrounds the sleeve 35.

Bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the underside of the horizontalarm 13 is a U-shaped frame member 41. A tubular sleeve 42, similar tothe sleeve 35, is secured in an aperture 43 of the frame 41. A hollowbushing 38 is rotatably suspended in the aperture 44 and surrounding thesleeve 21, and is provided below the arm 13 with a gear 46 afiixedthereto by means of a collar 47.

A horizontal supporting arm 48 is secured to the bottom of the sleeve35. This arm is apertured at 50 at one end to receive the sleeve 35 andat 51 in the opposite end to receive a pivotally mounted shank member52, from which is suspended a guard 53 in which is rotatably mounted anidler pulley 54. The shank projects upwardly through the aperture 51,its upper end being provided with a nut 56 which is adjustable on theshank to control the tension in a compression spring 57 surrounding theshank 52. A supporting arm 58 is secured at one end on the bushing 38and is provided at the other end with a pulley 59 rotatably mounted in aguard 60.

A gear 85 is secured to the shaft 28 between the worm 30 and thehorizontal arm 14 to mesh with the gear 37 of the upper sleeve 35 and agear 86 is secured to the vertical shaft 28 between the horizontal arm13 and the bevel gear 31 to mesh with the gear 46 on the lower sleeve42.

From the foregoing it will be observed that a strand 62 from the supplyreel 16 and a strand 63 from the supply reel 17 may be moved intoparallel and longitudinal abutment and held in such alignment tocomprise a pair 64, which moves upwardly through the sleeve 42 to thelower end of the sleeve 35 whence it is passed around the capstan andunder a tension pulley 65. The tension pulley is suspended from theU-shaped frame member 41 by means of any suitable spring 66 which actsto maintain the pair in tractive engagement with the capstan. Acontinuous travelling member 6'? which may be of wire, textile, leatherthong or other durable flexible material is passed within the guards 53and so as to rest upon the peripheries of the pulleys 54 and 59. Thetravelling member is wrapped helically about the pair as an axis asufficient number of times to lock the strands thereof together, themember being sufficiently long to helically engage the pair over asubstantial distance between the sleeve 35 and sleeve 42, and is alwaysheld tightly therearound by the tension of the spring 57.

A take-up reel 68, rotatable with an axis '70, is positioned in tandemrelation with the supply reels 16 and 17, and is provided axially with abevel gear 72. Suitable aligned auxiliary shafting '73-'73 rotatablymounted in a three point bearing frame 74 is provided with a slip clutch76 of any suitable type, that in the particular instance being shownhaving a compression spring 77, the force of which is sufficient tocause the take-up to be driven from the motor 32 in conjunction with thecarrier driving apparatus and yet decrease its rotation'as the quantityof pair material on the take-up reel increases, thus permitting thespeed of the strands moving through the apparatus to be maintainedconstant irrespective of the increasing circumference of the strandreceiving surface of the take-up. The aux liary shafting '73 is providedat one end with a bevel gear '78 which meshes with the bevel gear '72and another bevel gear '79 is provided on the other end of the auxiliaryshafting for engagement with the bevel gear 34 of the motor. Brake shoes81-81 are provided on a stationary support 82 for preventing the supplyreels from overrunning when the takeup is stopped and for alwaysmaintaining a modicum of tension in the strands 62 and 63.

In setting up the mechanism for operation the strands 62 and 63 from thesupply reels 16 and 1'7, respectively, are drawn upwardly through thesleeve 42 as pair 64, and the endless traveling member is helicallywrapped therearound, as by winding the pair preliminarily around thetraveling member 65. The pair is then passed upwardly through the sleeve35 and bushing 40 and passed around the periphery of capstan 25 anydesired number of times, in the present instance being wrapped twicetherearound. The pair is then carried downwardly, passed under thetension pulley 65, and secured to the take-up reel 68.

When the machine is in operation, sufficient tension is exerted in thestrands by reason of the spring 66 to cause the pair to exert a moderatesnubbing action on the periphery of the capstan in order that the lattermay steadily draw the strands upwardly through the space between thesleeves 35 and 42, said space combining an aligning zone. The motor 32drives the shaft 28 through the gears 34 and 31. Shaft 28 rotates todrive the toothed wheel 26 through worm 30 and the gears 3'7 and 46 ofthe carrier mechanism through gears 85 and 86. The strands in passingthrough sleeve 42 are under sufficient tension by reason of the effectof the brakes 8181 on the supply reels in order to cause them to bemaintained taut. Immediately upon passing from the sleeve 42 the pair isconcurrently engaged by the continuously traveling member 67 which iscarried around the pair as an axis by the rotating carrier arms 48 and58, the bushing 40 and the collar 4'? attached to the arms being drivenby the gears 37 and 46, respectively. As the pair moves upwardly throughthe aligning zone the component strands thereof are continuously tightlybound by the tensioned helically applied traveling member 67 so as to betightly locked in longitudinal abutment. The upward movement of the pairtends to cause the member 67 to travel over pulleys 54 and 59 in thedirection indicated by the arrows (Fig. 2) so that the traveling memberis concurrently unwound from any point in the strands and the strandsfreed at that point shortly prior to its passing through the sleeve 35and simultaneously with the binding of a subsequent portion of thestrand just emerging from the sleeve 42. Although in the embodimentillustrated the traveling member is wrapped around the advancing pairsix times before the strands are freed, it will be understood that thenumber of turns therearound may be varied as conditions warrant, itbeing only essential that the helical binding be suflicient tocontinually lock the strands in longitudinal abutment as they passthrough the aligning zone.

From the sleeve 35 the strands pass over the capstan 25. Any tendency ofthe consequent change in their respective radii to cause one strand tobe advanced faster than the other is eliminated, due to the fact thatthe helical binding insures that the strands advance together and thatas stored upon the take-up reels the pair shall be composed of componentstrands of equal lengths irrespective of the curvature of the capstansurface.

By practicing the above outlined method and by employing the abovedescribed apparatus in practicing the method, strands may be so handledas to form composite conductor strands composed of two or morecomponents which will have improved and uniform characteristics in aneconomical and facile manner. It will of course be understood however,that the specific apparatus described hereinbefore is only one of anumber of embodiments of the invention, and that various changes in thedimensions and arrangements may be made without departing from the scopeof the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for handling strands, means for supplying a pluralityof strands, means for aligning the strands, means for advancing thestrands through the aligning means, and endless means appliedsimultaneously for locking the strands in alignment and unlocking them.

2. In an apparatus for handling strands, means for supplying a pluralityof strands, a die for aligning the strands, means for continuouslyadvancing the strands through the die, and means applied simultaneouslyfor continuously locking the strands in alignment after exit from thealigning die and unlocking them upon their being advanced beyond thedie.

3. In an apparatus for handling strands, means for supplying a pluralityof strands, means for continuously advancing the strands, means foraligning the strands in parallel and longitudinally abuttingrelationship, and means applied simultaneously engaging the strandsafter exit from the aligning means during their movement between theadvancing means and the aligning means for locking the strands inalignment and unlocking them.

4. In an apparatus for handling strands, means for supplying a pluralityof strands, means for continuously advancing the strands, means foraligning the strands in parallel and longitudinally abuttingrelationship, and means axially rotatable with respect to the strandsapplied simultaneously for locking the strands after exit from aligningmeans in alignment and unlocking them.

5. In an apparatus for handling strands, means for supplying a pluralityof strands, means for continuously advancing the strands, means foraligning the strands in parallel and longitudinally abuttingrelationship, and means axially rotatable with respect to the strandsfor continuously applying an endless helical binding member to lock thestrands in alignment.

6. An apparatus for forming composite strands, which includes a pair ofrotatable supply reels, a take-up reel, a motor in operative engagementwith the take-up reel, a capstan disposed above the supply and take-upreels, a horizontal shaft for the capstan, a toothed wheel thereon, avertical shaft in operative engagement with the motor, a worm on thevertical shaft for engaging the toothed wheel to drive the capstan, adie for aligning a strand from each of the supply reels in parallel andlongitudinally abutting relationship, a carriage rotatable axially withrespect to a die, spaced idler pulleys on the carriage, springretracting means for one of the idler pulleys, and an endless member onthe pulleys for continuously helically binding the strands, locking themin parallel longitudinal abutment and adapted to be continuously removedfrom the strands when the locking engagement has been efiected.

7. The method of forming composite strands which consists incontinuously grouping and advancing a plurality of strands, and applyinga separate member to the group to cause the strands thereof to abutalong their longitudinal extent and to concurrently bind and unbind thegroup without changing the advancing direction of any strand of thegroup.

8. The method of handling strands which consists in continuouslyadvancing a plurality of strands through an aligning zone wherein theyare caused to be parallel and longitudinally abutting, continuouslylocking the strands in such relationship while in the zone, andunlocking the strands, the locking and unlocking of the strands beingsimultaneous operations accomplished by the application of an endlessmeans.

JOHN W. ANDREWS.

